Franklin warns that cunning may succeed against an individual but is unlikely to deceive everyone indefinitely. A clever scheme can exploit another person’s ignorance or trust, yet different people bring different knowledge, experience and judgement. The wider the deception spreads, the greater the chance that someone will recognise what is happening.

The saying does not deny that manipulation can sometimes produce a short-term advantage. Its broader point is that such success is fragile because it depends on others continuing to be misled. Once deception is exposed, the consequences may include lost trust, damaged reputation or resistance from those affected. Franklin therefore treats straightforward conduct as more durable than relying on cleverness at other people’s expense.